


Fever

by schmutzigvogel (kunstvogel)



Series: In the Kingdom of Currahee [2]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nesting, Romance, Sickfic, Typhoid Fever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 11:25:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14670102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kunstvogel/pseuds/schmutzigvogel
Summary: Lew falls ill with a fever. Dick cares for him as best as he can.





	Fever

**Author's Note:**

> Just a sweet hurt/comfort drabble set after Anastasis.

"Lew?" comes a quiet voice.  
  
Lew struggles to open his eyes, his body feeling unbearably heavy and sore. He's in the clutches of a terrible fever, his skin slick with sweat and his core cold as ice. Distantly he feels a cool hand press against his forehead and he whimpers, pressing into the contact.  
  
"Shh, sweetheart, it's just me," Dick murmurs. Lew finally peels his eyes open and takes in the sight of his lover above him, his face pinched with worry. They’re older now, Dick’s hair beginning to fade and recede, the lines on his brow deeper. Lew’s chest aches.  
  
"Alpha," he mumbles.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"Cold." Lew lets his eyes fall shut again, pulling the quilt up to his chin. "Have a headache. Belly hurts. 'S itchy, too." He can feel the bandages Roe had tied around his middle, wants to peel them off and scratch at his inflamed skin. _Typhoid fever_ , Roe had said. _Bad water. A few of the stable hands are down with it, too._  
  
"Can you eat? Perco made chicken pasta soup."  
  
Lew shakes his head, grimacing. "Not hungry," he mumbles weakly.  
  
"I'll bring you some water," says Dick. Lew only vaguely registers when he leaves the room, swimming in fever dreams. Distantly, he thinks about Gloria. What would happen if he were to die now, he wonders. Would Dick take the throne? Would he have Gloria, barely thirteen years old now, crowned as Currahee's Queen?  
  
Lew can't bear to think of it. His chest grows tight and he chokes off a sob, the pain in his stomach suddenly growing unbearable. He doesn't realize he's crying out until he hears Dick rush to his side, taking his hand.  
  
"What is it, Lew?" he asks, an edge of panic in his voice.  
  
"Hurts," Lew grits out, letting out a whine from the back of his throat. "It hurts so bad, Dick."  
  
"I'm getting Roe," Dick says.  
  
"No. Don't leave me," Lew begs. "I don't want to be alone."  
  
"I gotta get someone to call for him, at least." Dick rubs Lew's arm. "I'll be right back."  
  
Lew whines again as he hears Dick walking away. He doesn't know how long it's been since he'd woken up in the middle of the night to vomit, his stomach screaming with pain. But it's twice as worse now, the fever serving to keep him feeling constantly sweaty, fluctuating between too hot and too cold, leaving him unable to sleep. He clutches the sheets and wails for his mate, desperate for comfort and relief.

-❧-

Dick rushes back in as soon as he can; Lew's agony sharp in his stomach. Their bond is stronger than most, and so he feels more acutely his Omega's suffering than anything else.  
  
Upon seeing Lew again he takes his hand and smooths a palm over the his sweaty forehead, shushing him with a low rumble. Lew's breath shudders out of him, his lungs surely aching from the coughing spell he'd suffered through all of the week before. He’d coughed until he’d thrown up, and then he’d been unable to stop vomiting until he was close to passing out, listing over the bucket weakly. When he's as relaxed as he can get, Dick takes a cup of water from the side table and presses it to Lew's lips.  
  
"Drink," he urges gently. "You need it."  
  
Lew sips slowly, too tired to glut himself. Roe arrives soon after, a leather satchel in tow. He checks over Lew, listening to his breathing and his heartbeat, peeling off the bandages to rub a mint salve on the rashes across his stomach and back.  
  
"He'll want to nest with you," Roe murmurs as he puts on new bandages. "Try to wait until the fever breaks. He can't overheat much more." He takes a potion from his satchel and pours a small amount into a cup, raising it to Lew's lips. Lew drinks obediently, clearly too exhausted to complain or fight. "That should help," says Roe. "Try to get him to rest."  
  
"Thanks," Dick says. "I'll do what I can."  
  
He takes vigil beside Lew, who finally drops off into a restless sleep. For the first time in many years, Dick prays. Lew had never been this ill before. The thought of him dying terrifies Dick down to his core.  
  
Dick bends down to kiss Lew's cheek, rumbling quietly.

-❧-

The next time Lew wakes it's dark outside. He blinks wearily over at the side of the bed and finds Dick passed out in a chair beside him. He can't help it as his stomach tightens and the desire to nest overwhelms him.  
  
Lew doesn't think about his illness, reaching for Dick's wrist and rubbing his pulse point beseechingly. Dick mumbles and blinks awake, lifting his head with a grimace. His face smooths out when he sees Lew looking back at him.  
  
"Lew," he breathes, smiling.  
  
Lew bites his lower lip, uncertain. He doesn't like asking Dick to indulge his natural desires. Usually the knight catches his subtle hints. But now he is too concerned for Lew's welfare, fussing over him in a way Lew appreciates but does not want.  
  
"Alpha," he pleads quietly, and Dick stills.  
  
"Lew?"  
  
"Please," Lew whines, reaching for Dick's hips. "I want to."  
  
He sees confusion flicker across Dick's face for a moment before he lays a palm on Lew's temple.  
  
"Your fever broke," Dick says. "Is it- do you want to nest?"  
  
Lew nods, pulling Dick in closer. "Please," he begs again. "Want to feel better."  
  
"No love-making," Dick warns. "You're still too sick. It's been two weeks."  
  
Lew nods, eager to be close to his Alpha again. Dick smiles and scoops him up from the bed, carrying him into the round alcove beside the fireplace where Lew had built his nest during his pregnancy. There's a mattress that takes up the entire floor, specially made for Lew by Renée, and it's covered in pillows, quilts, and a bearskin fur blanket.  
  
Dick lets him down and peels off Lew's nightshirt and braies. Lew prefers to nest while naked, and Dick is happy to oblige him. He strips off his own clothes and folds them up neatly on the dresser, then joins Lew in the alcove, pulling the privacy curtain shut so it's dark.  
  
"Dick," Lew murmurs contentedly, taking his wrist and pulling him down with him. They curl around each other, Lew with his head tucked into Dick's chest, their knees bumping between them.  
  
"Are you feeling better?" Dick asks.  
  
Lew nods. "Sore," he admits. "But it's better."

“Good.” Dick’s hand finds Lew’s nape, playing with the fringe of his hair there. “I’ll fetch Roe, see if you can go outside for a little bit. You need it.”

Lew merely grunts in reply, pushing his face into Dick’s chest.

“Love you,” he mumbles.

Dick chuckles. “I love you too, my Lord.”


End file.
